Lettering Styles.docx

Sketchbook Assignment: Lettering Practice Today’s essential question: How can the style of lettering add meaning to a word or phrase?

Today we will:  

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Research many different styles of lettering. Examples of terms you may want to search for: “hand lettering,” “chalkboard lettering,” “typography” Create a new blog post with the following:  photos of your favorite 20 lettering styles  the quote or excerpt from a song or poem that you plan to use for your visual poetry project Practice many different types of lettering in our sketchbooks. For this sketchbook assignment, you should try 20 different lettering styles. You should write a full word or phrase in each style. You will have today and Monday to finish this sketchbook assignment. If you do not have at least 5 lettering examples completed by the end of this class, you will need to work on it over the weekend.

Visual Poetry finished project example:

Examples of hand lettering (feel free to find your own inspiration and post it to your blog):

Lettering Sketchbook Assignment: Modified Please follow these modified guidelines for your sketchbook assignment. After completing each of the required components of this sketchbook assignment, you will have a solid understanding of the hand lettering techniques needed to complete your final poster. For this sketchbook assignment, you will test out a total of 12 distinctly different lettering examples, broken down into the following categories: 1 example of a sans serif typeface. Sans serif typefaces are simple typefaces. The letter forms do not have serifs:

2 examples of serif typefaces. (The letter forms in a serif typeface have serifs, or “feet”):

2 examples of script, cursive, or calligraphy typefaces:

3 examples juxtaposing two dramatically different text styles:

4 examples of banners, swirls, arrows, or other graphic elements that can be used as text dividers:

This means that you will have a total of 12 distinctly different lettering examples in your sketchbook upon completion of this assignment. DO NOT work on illustrating your quote until you have completed these 12 unique examples. (It is ok to test out 2-3 words from your quote at a time, but you will want to “try on” multiple lettering styles to see which lettering style looks best with each phrase.)

You can use my examples as a guideline:

Sans Serif

Serif

Script

Juxtaposition of two different styles

Banners, swirls, arrows, or other graphic elements

Today we will:  work on the lettering sketchbook assignment described above, completing the following 12 lettering examples:  1 example of a sans serif typeface  2 examples of serif typefaces  2 examples of script or calligraphy typefaces  3 examples juxtaposing two dramatically different text styles  4 examples of banners, swirls, arrows, or other graphic elements

Quote Lettering Project Guidelines Today we will:  sketch out ideas for our final quote poster design  begin drawing our final poster design on good paper Project requirements:  final size – 12×15″ or 12×18″ (pick the dimensions that work best with your quote)  choice of black ink on white paper or white charcoal on black paper  no imagery – you may only use the words in your quote, and decorative elements such as banners, lines, swirls, and arrows  design should display an understanding of the following art principles: unity, contrast, emphasis, movement, and balance

Examples that fulfill the requirements:

Today’s Tasks Part 1: In your sketchbook Section off the approximate space you would like each part of the quote to take up, then add the basic letter forms. (Your sketch should show a clear distinction between serif, sans serif, and scrip typefaces, but you do not need to perfectly form each letter.) Here is an example of an acceptable sketchbook planning page:

Part 2: On good paper 1. Section off the space you would like each part of the quote to take up. 2. Draw in the basic letter forms. 3. Add details to each letter, as well as any graphic elements. 4. Carefully color in your design with a black ink marker or charcoal pencil.

Integrating Text & Image Today’s essential question: How can I integrate the text into the design on the poster? Joniah has done a great job incorporating interesting lettering into her poster design. Notice how much more boring her poster would be if she had just written the words on the paper instead of creating custom lettering and working it into the picture:

Here are some other examples of posters that have successful integrated type and image:

For ideas on how to create interesting text, search dafont.com for interesting typefaces. Click on the typeface you want to preview, type in the words you plan to use on your poster, and hit submit. You can then use the snipping tool to take a screen shot of each heading written in that typeface:

You can use these screen shots as references when sketching your poster design.

Today we will:   

Finish our sketches (colored in with marker) of our vector poster project design Photograph our sketch Create a new blog post with the following:  a photograph of our vector poster project design  a few sentences describing the concept

Next Project: Propaganda Posters Essential Question: What makes an effective propaganda poster? Learning Objectives (What you will learn by doing this project):  I can use visual hierarchy and the rule of thirds to create an interesting composition with a prominent focal point  I can create art as a means of communication and persuasion For our next project, we will create a propaganda poster. We will begin by examining posters from World War II, but will spend most of our time looking at modern day propaganda posters. These posters should look familiar. What are some techniques the artists have used to persuade the viewer?

Featured Artist: Shepard Fairey

from artsy.net “Expanding on the legacies of artists such as Keith Haring and Andy Warhol, Shepard Fairey’s practice disrupts the distinction between fine and commercial art. A major artist of the street art movement, Fairey rose to prominence in the early 1990s through the dispersion of posters, stickers, and murals, related to his Obey Giant campaign, which yielded an international cultural phenomenon. Fairey’s iconic poster of President Barack Obama was adopted as the official emblem associated with the presidential campaign and encapsulates a number of recurring concerns in the artist’s work, including propaganda, portraiture, and political power.”

You can learn more about Shepard Fairey on his official website.

Examples of Shepard Fairey’s work

Things to think about:     

Abstraction vs. realism How will you establish a clear focal point? Flat design vs. shading Mood Color Scheme

Creating a Final Sketch to Vectorize Today you will sketch your final layout larger, with all details and text on a piece of 6×9″ paper. (The small size will force you to create a design that is simple enough to trace over in Illustrator.) Everything should look exactly as you want it, as you will be photographing this piece and tracing over it in Illustrator. Here is an example of an acceptable final sketch that is ready to be vectorized in Illustrator:

Today we will:   

Discuss the work of Shepard Fairey Begin sketching our final design on properly proportioned paper Post a photo of our work to our blogs (you must post a photo even if you have not finished your sketch!)

Color, Unity, Contrast Today’s essential question: How can I use a color scheme to create unity and/or contrast? How have the students below created unity through color? How have they created contrast? What ideas do these posters give you for your own project?